Delayed Destiny
by Ameroo77
Summary: I'm a huge Twilight fan but didn't like Breaking Dawn. This story begins where Eclipse leaves off, with Edward and Bella still together as vampire and human. Romantic and suspenseful, full of twists and a new evil vampire coven with a hidden agenda.
1. Chapter 1

Life was good. No more than good, it was perfect. I looked across the room at my beloved husband Edward, looking more beautiful than anyone ever had a right to, sitting by the fire in our perfect little cottage. He was smiling at me like he was the luckiest person in the world to have me, which I never could fully understand. How could he think he was the lucky one? This Greek god with the sultry, golden eyes was for some unknown reason in love with me. _I _was the lucky one.

That would have been enough for me. _He _alone would've been more than I could have ever imagined wishing for. But my luck and good fortune had brought me so much more, our daughter Renesmee. I looked down at her exquisite face, exquisite because she looked like her father, with the exception of having my eyes. As I rocked her to sleep I couldn't help but remember the night we created this miracle, the night on Esme's Island after our wedding, when I finally got to have Edward, in _every _way a person could have someone.

When it came to Renesmee, that's really all I could remember. I was told of all the sickness and pain that came with carrying her, but somehow it had escaped my memory. There is no way a bad thought could come into mind while looking at her face.

As I hummed her my favorite lullaby, the one Edward had written for me in my previous life, my _human _life, I started to become very dizzy. Everything in the room started spinning out of control. I was starting to lose sight of everything I loved.

I started screaming for Edward as I couldn't see him anymore, everything was black.

"Edward, where are you? What's happening? Edward!"

It was only a few seconds but it seemed like an eternity before I could suddenly hear his voice again but it seemed so far away.

"Bella, I'm here my love. Bella, can you hear me? Come back to me Bella. Carlisle, come quick. I think she's coming around."

Carlisle? When did Carlisle get here? I saw a small beam of light in all of the darkness. It slowly grew larger and I could see some shadowy figures looking down at me. As things slowly came into focus, I could see Carlisle looking into my eyes with his pointer light thingy and behind him was my Edward. I was so relieved to see his perfect face. Even though it had only been a few seconds, it was too long to not be able to look at him.

"Edward? What happened? Where am I? Where's Renesmee?"

Edward came to my side and slid my scared, shaking hand in his. "I'm here Bella. You are going to be ok." His sweet smelling breath made me lose all concentration as it always had. It was intoxicating. I had to focus.

"Edward, where's Renesmee?" He looked at me with his worried eyes and crooked grin he always had whenever I did something stupid.

"Esme is right here and Renee is still in Jacksonville." He must have misunderstood.

"No, not our moms, where is Renesmee?" He looked at me in utter confusion and asked "What do you mean, Renesmee? I think you are still a little confused my love."

What was he talking about? How could he not know what I meant by Renesmee? "Edward, I mean Renesmee, our daughter!" As soon as I screamed the words I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head. It felt like someone had hit it with a hammer.

"Daughter? Bella, what are you talking about? You must have hit your head harder than we thought to ever come up with that dream!"

Dream? What does he mean, dream?

"Bella, sweetheart, you have had quite a blow to your head. You were walking into the house to meet Alice with all of your honeymoon clothes you wanted to pack and you must have slipped or tripped on something. It's really impossible to tell with you what actually caused your spill. Anyway, you must have hit your head on the driveway pavement. You have been out of it for hours, well at least from our point of view anyway. You were evidently very busy in that bewildering mind of yours."

I couldn't breathe. Could it be possible? My perfect happy ending was only a dream? My honeymoon, my night with Edward, our beautiful daughter? My transformation from a plain, clumsy Jane to a beautiful, powerful vampire? It couldn't be. It was too real.

Edward must have seen the confusion on my face as I saw him look at me with amusement. "You know, it's incredibly frustrating to not be able to read your mind right now. I would love to know what you were dreaming about. It sounds quite fascinating."

I was already having a hard time remembering to breathe; he didn't have to make it worse by flashing that smile at me.

"You will have to fill me in when you are feeling better."

"No Edward, you don't understand! I wasn't dreaming! It was real, all of it. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Shhhh…shhh Bella. Calm down. This will not help you with your recovery. Just rest and things will become clearer. Relax. I will be here. I will not move from your side. You can scream at me later." As he winked I felt myself slipping back into unconsciousness. "It's the pain medicine Carlisle gave you taking effect," Edward whispered softly in my ear. "Get some rest." I would have tried harder to fight it but I wanted to go back to my happy ending so I let it overcome me.

When I awoke several hours later, I realized Edward must've been right. The memories I had about him, Renesmee, my new birth, the Volturi, the other vampire covens, were all fading. They were just fuzzy pieces of a puzzle I couldn't quite fully put back together. Before I could give it another thought, I felt his wonderfully cold, smooth lips upon mine.

"Welcome back. How do you feel?" When I didn't answer him right away he gave me the Edward worried look again. He should know by now the effect his kisses have on me. It always takes me a minute to gain my composure.

"Well, besides the fact that it feels like someone's drilled a whole in the back of my head with a jackhammer, ok I guess." Edward hated seeing me in any kind of pain so he immediately called to

Carlisle for more pain medicine.

"No!" I stopped him in mid-sentence. "I've been asleep long enough. What time is it?"

"It's 2:00 AM," he replied.

"Two o'clock!" I screamed. "I have to go. Charlie is going to kill me!" I jumped off Carlisle and Esme's bed which is where they had put me after my "spill" as Edward so amusingly referred to it, in one fast motion which was a monumental mistake. The dizziness overcame me and I felt myself starting to fall. I knew that feeling all too well. Unlike my last fall, I luckily had Edward there to catch me with his superfast reflexes and incredible strength this time. He had me cradled in his arms in an instant, chuckling as he so often did at my expense. After he softly kissed me on my forehead, he let me know that Carlisle had called Charlie and explained what happened. He promised Charlie I was fine but thought it was better if I had stayed with them for the night, just as a precaution. Charlie knew I was in the hands of the best doctor Forks had ever seen so he agreed.

"You must be starving" Edward said in his velvety voice. "Let me get you something to eat. I can bring it up here for you since your sea legs seem to not be working still." He delicately sat me down on the bed with another gentle kiss and was off in a blur. I don't know if I'll ever get over the marvel at seeing him move with such graceful speed. In what seemed like no time at all, Edward was back with a plate full of scrambled eggs.

I shoveled the eggs down like I hadn't eaten in ages. After I cleaned my plate Edward took it from my still slightly shaking hands and placed it on the nightstand. He moved to sit closely in front of me; legs crossed Indian style and grabbed my hands with his long, icy fingers which always seemed to burn me instead of feeling cold.

"So, why don't you tell me about this dream of yours?" Again, the sounds… the delicious scent…he really needed to stop doing that until my head was back to normal.

"It doesn't really matter. It was just a dream." He must have seen the disappointed look on my face because he leaned forward and pulled me into his rock hard chest and caressed my back in long, gentle, icy strokes.

"Of course it matters. Bella, I always want to know what is going on in your mysterious mind. You know it drives me insane that yours, the one mind I want to see more than anyone else's, is the only mind in the world I cannot read. You look upset and that is never acceptable to me. I need to know what happened in there so I can help you feel better_. Please, _tell me about your dream."

As usual I couldn't deny him anything he wanted so I surrendered and started to explain what fuzzy pieces I could remember. As I started to reveal the different scenes, I was sure to edit very carefully what little of the vivid memories I had left. Especially the details of the morning after Edward and I were finally able to show our love to each other. In the dream, I remember waking up with black and blue marks all over my body and feathers flying through the air from the pillows he had to bite to control himself. If I ever told him this he would never give in to my wants so I left that part out.

As I droned on, trying to remember what I could about Renesmee, his finally turning me into a vampire, the showdown with the Volturi, I could see him stiffen and start to get very agitated. His fists were clenched like he wanted to break something and his eyes grew more and more distant. I was choosing my words very carefully, trying not to reveal the worst parts I could remember, but it didn't seem to be helping. It was at this point I realized this was a mistake and decided to just shut up. I was pretty much done anyway.

"Edward, what are you thinking? Are you ok? I knew I shouldn't have told you anything. Please don't let this bother you. It was only a dream. Yes, there were some not so pleasant parts like the Volturi but most of it was great. Our finally being together, our daughter, my new birth into a beautiful, powerful vampire!"

As soon as I got those last words out he jumped from the bed and started pacing around the room frantically holding his face in his hands and shaking his head back and forth as people did when they were trying to shake some awful, painful memory away.

"Edward? Say something."

His pace slowed down and he removed a hand from his face, giving me the "one minute" sign with his finger. Slowly, calmer now, he joined me again on the bed. His face was down, staring at the beautiful silvery lace blanket that lay over the bed for several minutes. I finally reached my hands out and lifted his strong, beautifully pale face until his eyes met mine. I have seen pain in Edward's eyes way too many times for my liking in the past so it was easy to recognize how much he was hurting.

"Edward, what is it? This was a _good _dream!" I smiled and playfully nudged him to show him I meant it, but that only seemed to upset him further.

"Oh Bella", he finally spoke in a low, defeated tone. "There are so many things wrong…I…I don't even know where to start." He paused for another minute, I assumed to gather his thoughts, before he spoke again. I didn't understand his reaction. What about this dream wasn't a good thing? I was more beautiful and strong as a vampire, we were able to be together and we had a daughter…a perfect happy ending. What could he possibly be upset about? Did he finally come to his senses and realize he didn't want to be with me for eternity? That he could do much better?

As if he could suddenly sense my rapidly increasing fears, he grabbed my wrists and held my hands up to his stone cheeks.

"Bella, I don't know what scares me more, your dream or your excited reaction to your dream."

I was confused. I started to mumble, "Why? You know this is everything I want in this world, to be with

you forever." He tried to give me a half-hearted smile but his attempt was futile.

"OK," he began. "There are three things. Let's start with the Volturi. You seem to think that is what bothers me the most but to be perfectly honest, it bothers me the least. Protection from them is at least something I could be successful at giving you."

As he started to go on I interrupted him. "But don't you see Edward; you didn't _have _to protect me.

For once, I was able to protect you!"

He couldn't help but give me that half smile I loved so much at my excitement that I could do something for him, but it didn't last long. The annoyance was back in his smoldering eyes.

"Thank you for the introduction to point two," he said in a much calmer voice now. "May I continue?" I shook my head in agreement.

"Bella, I know I agreed to your condition about it being me who…changes you…" He could barely get out the words. His voice was so pained now. "I plan on honoring that agreement after the honeymoon as promised. It's just…your excitement about being turned into a monster hurts me more deeply than you will ever know. I know you think it is going to be this perfect life for us, and eventually it probably will be. You just don't understand how hard it is going to be for you in the first couple of years. I don't know if I will be able to even handle watching the pain my venom will cause you for three days much less watching you be tormented by your new thirst for two years. I don't know if I can bear never again seeing your face blush whenever you are embarrassed or not hearing you whisper my name when you are dreaming. You seem to think me ending you is a great gift I am giving you. It is insane."

I couldn't help interrupting again. "But Edward, you're not ending me; you're giving me eternity, eternity with you. Nothing in my dreams could even compete with the happiness that you are going to give me."

He just sat silently shaking his head again. We were never going to agree on this but luckily for me it had already been decided.

"And point three?" I asked, almost afraid to hear what his answer was going to be. The last two weren't so great.

He sighed and looked at me with even more pain then I have ever seen before. If vampires could shed tears I was certain there would be too many rolling down his angel-like face right now.

"Bella, you know how important it is to me that you experience everything the human world can give you, right?"

As I sat their listening, I couldn't help but smile a little, remembering the time he made me go to prom because "it was an important rite of passage" he said I shouldn't miss. I remembered dancing, something the clumsy like me should never attempt, and him pulling me up so close to him it took my breath away. I remember kissing him under the lighted gazebo on that misty night outside of the prom hall. He was right. That is definitely an experience I would never forget. Not the prom, but my time with him there.

He must have seen me drifting away because he grabbed my hand again. "Bella, focus please. This is important."

I eventually came back to the present and he continued. "You know…you know that something like

Renesmee could never happen with me, right?"

He stared into my eyes waiting to see my reaction. I must have made some kind of expression he didn't like because the pained look in his eyes grew even worse. I didn't actually now what kind of reaction I had given. I didn't really know how I felt about it. Yes, in the dream it was wonderful to have that with Edward but it was however only a dream that was fading more and more by the minute. I couldn't even remember what our daughters face looked like anymore. Before the dream I had never even thought about it. I didn't care about children. After all, they were messy, loud, and ultimately would take away time I could be spending with just Edward. So why did I give the reaction I must have given to cause him so much pain?

"Edward, that doesn't matter to me. It's you and only you I want to spend forever with." I tried to spit the words out as quickly as I could so he wouldn't think I needed time to think about it. It didn't work.

"Bella, you are only 18 years old. You may not think you want this now but you might in the future. You _should _want this in the future. If you dreamed about it, maybe it is something you want deep down but don't consciously think about. Look at Rosalie. Remember her story?"

As I drifted off again, I remembered the night that Rosalie, Edward's sister for all intents and purposes, came to talk to me in Edward's bedroom. It had taken me by surprise as Rosalie was never very friendly towards me. It was only after she told me her story that I understood why she was always so cold to me.

Rosalie had always wanted a happy family life while she was growing up. She dreamed of having the perfect husband, the perfect house, the perfect social life and most importantly, the perfect children.

She thought she was on her way to having all of that when her life suddenly changed in one horrific night. Her perfect future had turned into a perfect nightmare. She was dying but Carlisle saved her that night, made her immortal. Unfortunately it meant she could never have her dream of having a family. That is why she resented me so much. I could still have all of that but was choosing to give it all up. What she didn't understand was that was her dream, not mine. My only dream was Edward.

The feel of his cold, strong lips upon mine brought me back to the present again.

"Bella, I…I wish you would just think about…"

It was time to interrupt again. "Edward, I have thought about it. I have thought about it and thought about it and then thought about it some more. How could I not when you are constantly making me think everything through. I have made my decision over and over again. You are everything I want and need. We've been through this. It has been decided. Please don't let one clumsy accident and stupid dream change everything."

His expression still looked pained but it was slowly starting to grow into acceptance. He forced a little smile and leaned over to kiss me again. It was at that moment that I realized my mixed feelings earlier about children were just a reaction to the dream. This is definitely what I wanted for the rest of my life.

I looked out the window for the first time and saw that the sun was already up in the sky. It was covered by a thick layer of fog like most days in Forks but it was there. Our conversation had been so intense that I hadn't even realized the time was passing by so quickly. Edward asked if I had wanted to sleep some more but I didn't feel tired at all. Just a little emotionally exhausted from the conversation. The throbbing pain in the back of my head had almost disappeared as well.

"I think I should probably get home. I'm sure Charlie's worried about me."

Edward gave me another soft, long, lingering kiss and nodded in agreement. He was still worried about my sea legs so he grabbed me up in his arms in a quick, effortless motion and carried me out to his car.

As we were driving to Charlie's house, Edward had kept one hand on top of mine on the leather seats in his silver Volvo. As always, he was driving too fast, especially with only one hand, but it didn't seem to bother me anymore. His superfast reflexes made driving with one hand for him much safer than humans driving with both hands.

"How is your head feeling?" he asked trying to cover up a chuckle. While he always worried about my clumsiness it also seemed to amuse him. I really, really didn't like that.

"It's fine. Just the embarrassment is lingering now." I hoped he noticed the annoyance in my voice.

He couldn't help but break out with a low key laugh, "and here I thought I could go hunting and you would be safe with Alice." I'm going to have to remind her she needs to act more quickly when you're in her care. I don't need you falling again getting anymore crazy ideas in your head. There are too many there already."

As we pulled up to the curb in front of Charlie's house, I could see him pulling back the curtains to see who was arriving. Edward got out and opened my car door for me, always the perfect gentleman. It was so obvious at times that he was from a totally different era, the way he spoke, the way he carried himself, his never-ending chivalry. No one in this day and age could come close to measuring up to him.

I seemed to have got my legs working again but as we walked to the door Edward had his arm tightly around my waist just in case. He knew me too well.

"Bella" Charlie said in his over-protective fatherly voice. "Are you ok? I've been really worried."

"I'm fine Dad. I've been through this routine plenty of times before as you well know. The Cullens were very nice as usual and took good care of me."

"Let's get you into the house," he groaned looking at Edward as if my clumsiness was somehow his fault.

He took a minute to glare at Edward which he has always done, but not as much as he had in the past two days. As we walked through the door I heard him mumble to Edward again…"Keep her happy and safe huh?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Confrontation

It was just two days ago that Edward was driving me home with my shiny new to me but very old engagement ring on my finger. It had belonged to his mother. It still felt like it weighed 100 pounds on my finger. Engaged, what was I thinking? I unquestionably loved Edward enough to marry him I just didn't think it was a necessity to have it on paper since we were going to spend eternity together anyway. And I really didn't think it was necessary to make a big event out of it either but I couldn't disappoint Alice. She was so looking forward to throwing this grand wedding for us and I know that secretly Edward wanted that to. He has waited a very long time for this so I wanted it to be perfect for him, no matter how much I was dreading it. I didn't like being the center of attention much.

In the end it would all be worth it. Since I was meeting Edward's condition by marrying him, he would have to meet mine. He would have to let me know him in every sense of the word while I was still human and then afterwards finally make me his immortal partner.

As we reached the driveway at Charlie's house it felt like there were a thousand butterflies swirling around in my stomach. How do you tell your dad that you're getting married at eighteen? The one thing I was grateful for was that Charlie didn't know the truth about Edward and what that meant for my future. It was going to be hard enough already.

I was more nervous than usual having to talk to Charlie about something he wasn't going to like. I usually had the help of Edward who could always read what Charlie was thinking. This wasn't going to help this time because Charlie had no idea I was about to blindside him therefore Edward had no idea what he was thinking in advance.

Edward and I entered the house together. I was gripping his hand so tightly it was hurting me. Of course it didn't phase his marble-like hand, but he could tell by the pressure how nervous I was. He used his other hand to touch my cheek and smiled gently to reassure me that everything was going to be ok.

Charlie was sitting on the couch watching the baseball game on the flat screen. This wasn't an unusual place for him to be. He barely looked up when we entered the room as it was right in the middle of extra innings, the 10th to be exact, and he didn't want to miss anything. "Hey kids" was all he could manage to say because the Seattle Mariners were at bat now.

Before I could even find the right words and open my mouth, Edward was already in motion. "Charlie, do you have a minute? Bella and I have some news we would like to share with you."

"Oh?" Charlie turned around and took his eyes only halfway off the baseball action. "What is it?"

I shot Edward a look that would have burned through anyone but him. I'm sure he saw me but chose to ignore it.

"I realize I should have probably talked to you first about this but the right moment came unexpectedly to ask Bella before I had the chance. I am happy to say that I have asked Bella to be my wife and she has, lucky for me, said yes."

"Before you say anything, I want you to know that I love Bella more than anyone in this world and I would give my own life to be sure she is happy and safe. I know you're probably concerned about her future, college and all, so I want to let you know we have it all taken care of. Both Bella and I have been accepted into Dartmouth this fall as you know and we don't plan on wasting the opportunity. My family has a residence close to the university so we will have a very comfortable home to live in. Since Bella will be my wife I will be sure of course that all of her tuition and expenses are covered. She tried to fight me on that one but I insisted. I want more than anything to be sure Bella has everything she wants and needs."

The silence was deafening. I don't know who was more shocked, Charlie or me. I was still working up the courage to just ask about the game before any of this was said. Edward was as poised and calm as he always was.

I watched as Charlie's face went through several stages of emotion. Shock, anger, sadness…shock again. After what seemed like several minutes…the anger finally won out. "Are you crazy, Bella? What are you thinking? You're eighteen years old! There is no way I am going to allow this. You're just a child."

"Charlie," Edward said calmly, "we have given this a lot of…"

"I don't even want to hear anything else out you right now," Charlie suddenly interrupted. "This is all your doing."

"Dad!" I couldn't let him yell at Edward like it was something he forced me into. "This is my decision too! I love Edward with all my heart and we are going to be together and we are going to get married. Yes, I'm only eighteen but I'm ready for this! I have spent my whole life looking after mom and now cooking for you and helping you out, I'm way more grown up than you give me credit for. This wedding is going to happen. It's happening in two weeks actually. We want to have plenty of time to go on our honeymoon and get back to get ready for Dartmouth. I was hoping that you would be there to walk me down the aisle but I won't hesitate to walk down it by myself or with mom." Surprisingly when I called Renee she was happy about it even though she got married and pregnant young and told me I shouldn't make the same mistakes. She said she wouldn't miss it for the world and would be there.

Charlie just stood there and glared at me, then at Edward, mumbled something under his breath and walked out the door. He slammed the police cruiser's door and took off down the road.

Before I had a chance to blink Edward was behind me with his arms around my waist. "See, I told you it wouldn't be that bad" he whispered in my ear. I could tell by the way he spoke that he had that sexy half grin on his face.

"Not that bad? Not that bad? Were you just here in this room Edward? Didn't your super-powered vampire ears hear what just happened?"

For the life of me I couldn't figure out why Edward had a slight grin on his face. "Bella, Bella, relax. We knew there was a possibility that Charlie would take the news like this. I can assure you that right now he's on his way to the diner to get a steak and he is already feeling badly about the way he acted. He's starting to accept it and has already decided there is no way he would miss walking you down the aisle. And to my surprise, he has decided that I'm not that bad of a guy and he knows that you will be happy, and well, as safe as you can possibly be, with me." He winked and grinned but it didn't take long for the grin to disappear. I knew why but I wasn't about to get into that argument again.

Edward worked on keeping my mind occupied while I was waiting for Charlie to come back home. He didn't really need to put much effort towards the cause as he was unbelievably very good at it. All it would take is a touch here, a kiss there and my mind couldn't concentrate on anything else. He still wouldn't let it get any further than a long, lingering kiss but for now I was ok with it. It wouldn't be long until I had more of him. Just two more weeks and knowing Alice, a painfully fancy wedding to get through.

As we sat on the couch, Edward loving that he could control me at any time just by touching his lips to mine, teasing me, making me crazy, I heard the police cruiser pull in the drive.

We hopped up and I was nervously pacing the floor in the kitchen when I heard the car door, this time calmly, shut. I immediately looked over at Edward who just merely shook his head and smiled like everything was ok.

Just a brief moment later Charlie walked in the door and met us in the kitchen. Charlie was a man of few words so it took him a minute to begin to say what he wanted to say. "Um, Edward…would you mind stepping into the other room so I can have a few words with Bella?"

"Of course not Charlie, take all the time you need." And then he was gone, leaving me alone to face the firing squad.

"Bells, I'm sorry that I went off like that. You just caught me off guard. I knew I was going to have to say goodbye to you when you took off to college but I always thought you would be coming back to stay with me on breaks and holidays. Now, you'll be married living in your own house…..there will be no need for you to come back."

"Dad, of course I will be coming home to visit you." It was hard for me to get the words out because I knew they were a lie. After I was "changed" I would be uncontrollable because of the thirst for a year or two so I knew it would be at least that long until I saw Charlie again.

"I know it was silly to think that but it seems like I just got you back and you're leaving me already."

Charlie wasn't much on emotion but I could tell he was trying to hold back the tears. I was incredibly grateful for that.

"All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy Bells. As far as guys go I guess you could have done a lot worse than Edward. I can tell he really loves you and that his family has grown to love you as well. They are good people. If the offer is still on the table, I would be honored to walk you down the aisle in two weeks."

"Of course the offer still stands, Dad. I don't know if I would have wanted to go through with it without you being there."

Even though neither Charlie nor I were big on displays of affection, I ran over to him and hugged him until it started getting uncomfortable for us two emotionally stunted people. He patted me on the back a few times and then called out for Edward.

"Um, Edward, I'd like to apologize about my outburst before. Someday when you have kids you'll understand what it's like when you have to let them go. I give you my blessing on the condition that you will make Bella happy every day of her life."

Edward kept his smile on but I could tell by the sudden change in his eyes what he was thinking. Vampires can't have kids. I'll never be able to give her that.

"Thank you Charlie. It means the world to me and I am sure Bella as well that you are behind us. I'll be sure to give Bella everything she wants to ensure her happiness." As I looked in h his eyes I knew there was something he wanted to say after that. Something like "even if it kills me."


	3. Chapter 3

I didn't really miss the sun but was very thankful that Mother Nature had let it make a rare appearance in Forks today. Even though it was August, the sun didn't usually shine in the rainiest place in the continental United States as long as it has today.

As soon as I pulled up in my old truck my father gave me when I first moved here to Forks, I saw a blur of shimmering bright light, like a thousand little diamonds blowing through the wind in tandem, burst out of the Cullen's front door. Before I could even blink Alice was right outside my door.

"Hi Bella!" She said with excitement, smiling, showing off her perfect white teeth through her ruby red lips. It always floored me to look at her and all of the Cullens in the sunlight. They were beautiful all of the time of course but there was just something about seeing them in the sun, their bodies glistening like Swarovski crystal that astonished me.

"Geez Alice, you scared the daylights out of me!" I cursed as I was trying to get my heart to start beating again.

"Sorry Bella, I just wanted to be sure I made it here before you got out of the truck to be sure we don't have a repeat performance of two days ago. Besides, Edward made me promise to be more on top of things."

Ugh. Am I ever going to live this down? It isn't like I haven't fallen or tripped before. Do I really need a bodyguard to walk me in the front door?

"Of course," I mumbled. "Alice, can you tell Edward that I did manage to live 17 years walking all by myself before I met him?"

"Well, you know Edward. He tends to be a little overprotective when it comes to the people he loves and you are right on the top of his list." She smiled again and put her arms around my shoulders as we walked to the house.

"Where is he anyway?" I was surprised that my knight in shining over-protectiveness was not here to make sure I could find my way to the front door.

"Oh he and Carlisle went into the deep part of the woods to do some hunting. Spending some quality father and son time before the wedding I suppose. He said he wouldn't be long."

"Why are you in such a good mood?" I was puzzled. I thought Alice would be extremely disappointed that the sun was out and we couldn't go on our designer honeymoon clothes shopping trip to Seattle, the exact reason that I was beyond thrilled that the sun was out. I had already brought some honeymoon clothes over a couple of days ago but Alice thought they were unacceptable.

"Oh Bella, don't you know? There is this new thing called the internet. Who needs Seattle?" Her giggle mocked me but I knew she had the best of intentions.

I was usually a big fan of the internet but was now wishing the worldwide web and all of its virtual stores were non-existent.

Sitting beside Alice at the computer I tried to fake enthusiasm as she clicked away at all of the clothes she thought I would look good in. If I so much as nodded my head she instantly clicked on the shopping cart button and there would be a new outfit to wear on my honeymoon being shipped to me. While shopping and fancy clothes were really not my thing, I couldn't help but appreciate what she was doing.

I didn't like the fact that she was spending all of this money on me, even though the Cullens had plenty of money to burn, but she insisted and when Alice insists you are pretty much stuck. That is how this whole over- luxurious wedding started. I would have been happy to go to Las Vegas and elope with Edward but it would have crushed Alice if we didn't let her plan our wedding.

Two hours later, as soon as I was sure I would need 10 huge suitcases to bring all of the clothes she just purchased for me, at least half of I was sure I would never wear, I was caught off guard but relieved to feel his lips kissing the top of my head. "Having fun?" he said in his most sarcastic, but ever so sexy voice as he snuck up behind me. Edward knew I was only doing this to appease Alice and he seemed to be taking way too much pleasure in my pain.

"Hi!" I jumped up with way too much excitement. I wasn't sure what I was most excited about, seeing Edward or being able to get away from the computer. It was too close to call. I reached my arms up, put them around his neck and kissed him as if I hadn't seen him in days. Just a few hours were too long to be away from him.

"Well hello there. I may just have to go out more often if this is the kind of greeting I'll get." He looked at me with his now light gold eyes and smiled from ear to ear.

"There you go again, dazzling me. That smile of yours should be considered a lethal weapon."

He laughed for a moment, kissed me on the cheek and whispered "I like that I dazzle you" in my ear.

"Alice? Have you gone over the limit on your platinum card yet? Would it be possible for the groom to take the bride away for a bit?"

"Go ahead," she said to him without taking her eyes off the monitor. "She wasn't much help anyway. I got this covered."

As I looked up at Edward mouthing the words "thank you" silently so Alice couldn't hear me, I felt the vibration of my cell phone. As soon as I grabbed it out of my jeans pocket, I saw that it was Charlie calling. Charlie had been calling me more often than usual in the past couple of days. He would always have some lame excuse as to why he was calling such as "do you know if we have any milk left? I can stop by the store and pick it up if we don't." I knew the real reason for the calls was he was trying to hold on to me as much as he could knowing that in just 10 days I would be married and leaving on my honeymoon.

"Hey Charlie, what's up?" I was surprised to hear the voice on the other end was not Charlie's. "Hi Bella, its Billy." Billy? What was he doing with Charlie's cell phone?

"Hey Billy, what's going on?"

"Bella, I don't want to scare you but I'm at the hospital with Charlie. We were watching the game at your house when, well, I don't really know what happened. He got up to get us a beer and then all of a sudden he collapsed right on the floor. I called 911 and we're now here at the hospital. I don't really know anything else, they won't let me see him because I'm not family. I think you should come as quickly as you can."

As I clicked my phone closed, too stunned to speak, I realized that Edward had already gotten our coats and was putting my left arm in my coat sleeve. "Bella, the hospital just paged Carlisle. He just left and we're going to be right behind him."

I hadn't said a word to Edward and I know he couldn't tell from my end of the phone conversation what had happened because I didn't say anything to Billy. I just listened in disbelief. Carlisle must have let him know through his thoughts while I was on the phone.

I hadn't said a word since we got in the car and were speeding down the private long, winding road that lead away from the Cullen's House. I felt numb.

"Bella, Charlie's going to be ok." I forgot Edward was even in the car. He reached his hand over to wipe the tears from my face that I didn't realize I was shedding.

"Edward, I'm so scared." Those were the first and last words I spoke the entire drive to the hospital. If Edward had replied I hadn't even noticed.

As we entered in through the hospital doors, Edward suddenly stopped and grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Edward what is it? I have to go see Charlie, come on!"

"Bella, Charlie is fine. Carlisle is with him right now. You won't be able to see him for a few minutes anyway. " I should have felt an overwhelming sense of relief but there was something about Edward's eyes that told me that he had more to say.

"Edward?"

"Billy isn't the only one here with Charlie. He looked me in the eyes as if he knew what he was about to say next would hurt me. "Jacob's here as well."

Jacob. I hadn't seen him since I visited him in La Push while he was recovering from his injuries from the Victoria showdown in the clearing. It was a bittersweet visit as I was so happy to be there with him but devastated knowing that I may not ever see him again. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to be friends with me now that we had declared our love for one another and knowing I chose my love for Edward over my love for him. Knowing that soon Edward and I would be married and I would soon be a member of the vampire, or bloodsuckers as he called them, world he couldn't stand.

"It's ok Edward. Thanks for the warning but I don't have time to worry about Jacob right now. Charlie needs me." I could tell he was trying to give me a smile but his efforts were not good enough. I could see the pain in his eyes as he knew what Jacob meant to me. He knew that I loved Jacob too and it caused him so much pain. I hated that I was responsible for that pain.

"Would you like me to wait here Bella? It might be for the best. "

"Of course not Edward, I need you with me. The thing with Jacob is over, I chose you. There really actually wasn't even a choice to be made. I cannot and will not live without you. You are my destiny."

I don't think my words made him feel any better but he was finally able to give me a little smile. He took my hand in his and we walked down the hallway trying to find Charlie.

As we turned the corner I saw Carlisle talking with Billy and Jacob. Carlisle must have sensed Edward was there because in mid-conversation he excused himself and started walking toward us.

"Carlisle?" He could hear the nervousness in my voice so he was quick to answer.

"Bella, Charlie is going to be just fine." I sighed with relief even though Edward had already told me as much. It was just more real hearing it from Carlisle.

"Wha…what happened? What's wrong with him?"

"Charlie had a mild heart attack. I know that sounds scary but I can assure you it was a very minor one. We're going to do some tests to see if there is any blockage or damage but I don't really see that being the case. He was very lucky."

"Can I see him? Is he awake?"

"Of course. He's been asking for you. He's in the last room on the left."

Edward kissed my hand and gave me a reassuring look as he nodded his head towards Charlie's room as if telling me to go ahead. "I'll be right here waiting. You should have a few minutes alone with your dad."

I came up to Billy first. I bent down to his wheelchair to give him a hug. "Thank you so much for being there Billy."

"Don't worry Bella; your old man is one tough old bird. It's going to take something much bigger than this to take him down."

I shoved my hands in my jean pockets like I was a 12 year old girl again and slowly walked over to where Jacob was standing.

"Hey." I couldn't believe how sheepish my voice sounded.

"Hey yourself."

"What are you doing here Jacob? I mean, you didn't need to come just for me. I know how hard this must be for you." I couldn't help but to look over at Edward. Jacob caught my meaning.

"You would think I came here just for you." His voice was as harsh as I was expecting it to be.

"I was there at the house when it happened, Bella. I was coming to pick up Billy and got there a little early. I'm here because I want to be sure Charlie is ok. He's been a friend of my family's for a long time."

"Of course. I…I shouldn't have assumed anything."

Disgruntled, he told me I should go in and see Charlie and that now that he knew he was ok he would be leaving. I thanked him for being here and then he was gone.

When I first saw Charlie lying in his hospital bed, I was shocked to see how small and feeble he looked. Charlie was always a man's man, always the Sherriff in uniform and out. His eyes were closed and he had a tube hooked up to his nose and IV needles going into both arms. The white, sterile room was silent with the exception of the machines he was hooked up to monitoring his heart. I couldn't bring myself to move any closer to him for at least 10 minutes. I just stood there and stared.

As I sat softly on the side of the bed, Charlie's eyes immediately opened and he gave me a little smile.

"Hey Bells. I'm sorry you have to see me like this. I guess I'm not as indestructible as I like to think I am."

I tried to keep the tears from welling up in my eyes but it was no use. I dropped my face into the blanket that was tucked around him and starting sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hey…hey. I don't want to see any of that. Ol' Doc Cullen said I was going to be just fine. Shoot, I'm ready to walk out of this dang place right now if they'd let me." He said it with such authority that I actually believed him. I was sure he hated every minute of this.

"How are we feeling?" I heard Carlisle say as he walked into the room. I quickly lifted my head and wiped the tears from my face.

"I feel just fine Doc. Can you take these dang contraptions off of me so I can home now?"

"Not so fast, Chief" Carlisle replied while thumbing through some paperwork on his clipboard. "We're going to run a few more tests and I would like to keep you here overnight just to be sure that everything is ok."

"I feel just fine Doc, really. I have a standing appointment with a steak and some cobbler tonight."

"Well, I'm afraid the steak and cobbler are going to have to wait for a while, a long while. I received your blood work back and your cholesterol is very high. I'm sure this is the cause of your problem. I will be putting you on some medication that will help but only a little. You're going to have to watch your diet very carefully to totally fix the problem."

I couldn't help but smile when I heard Carlisle tell Charlie this. I knew it was probably infuriating him. No more steak and cobbler? How would he survive?

"You have no idea how much you're bumming me out Doc. I thought it was your job to make me feel better, not worse."

Carlisle smiled. "I'll be sure I do my part Chief which is why I am not releasing you until I have ruled out every possibility that this won't happen again. And Bella, visiting hours are almost over so I'm afraid you'll have to be going soon. We will be sure to take good care of him."

"Wa…wait. Can't I stay with him tonight?"

"No you can't" Charlie said sternly. "Don't be ridiculous. I already have too many babysitters around here, I don't need any more. I honestly feel just fine and I promise to listen to all of Doc Cullen's orders. Shoot, I'll even eat the Jell-O I am sure will be here at any time. Go home Bells. Call Alice and have her come stay with you. Have some fun girl time. Don't get too used to having the house all to yourself though. I don't plan on being here much longer."

"He's right Bella. There isn't much you can do for him here. He'll be sleeping most of the time anyway."

I was going to argue with Carlisle when Edward walked in to the room. "Hello Charlie, how are you feeling? You gave us quite a scare."

Charlie nodded his head, "Edward."

"I'd be feeling much better if your dad here would let me go home but I guess I am stuck. Hey, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course Charlie, anything."

"Would you get Bella out of here? Pick up Alice and have her stay at the house? I have some sleeping to do and Bells here is trying to keep me from it."

"I'm one step ahead of you." Of course he was. You're always one step ahead of everyone when you could read their minds. "I have already phoned Alice and she is on the way to your house as we speak."

Edward was in on the conspiracy. I could see I was outnumbered and there was nothing I could do.

"Fine," I reluctantly said as I got up from the bed. "But I'll be back first thing in the morning to check up on you. And remember that I am engaged to your doctor's son so I'll know if you misbehave."

I kissed Charlie on the head, told him I loved him and nodded to Edward that we could go. Edward gently put his hand on the small of my back and walked me out of the room.

We pulled up on the side of the street and parked behind Alice's car. She was already there and had let herself in. I had supposed she used the key hidden in the gutter but you never know. Edward always got in through my window. It felt very strange to see Charlie's police cruiser in the driveway without him being home.

Alice greeted us in the kitchen and I could smell she was cooking something. It was funny how after I came into their lives the Cullens had started to enjoy cooking even though they never ate human food. They always had food on hand for the human, and it weirdly amused them to cook for me.

"Bella, I'm so sorry! I don't know why I didn't see this happening. I couldn't see anything!" Alice was bewildered why she couldn't vision something so personal to me. She was always attuned with what was happening in my life now and what would happen in my future.

"It's ok Alice. The dog was there." Edward's voice hissed as he said it. I hated when Edward called Jacob a dog just as much as I hated it when Jacob called Edward a bloodsucker.

"Oh! Thank goodness! I thought I was losing it!" Alice was relieved because she knew her visions didn't work when the werewolves were around. They somehow blocked her view from everyone and everything when they were present. No one knew why.

"Bella, I'm making you some spaghetti. Edward thought you might be hungry. It should be ready soon."

Alice then glanced at Edward and said "Edward, why don't you go hunting or something. Give me and Bella some girl time."

"I think you have already had girl time with Bella today. Did you forget your internet shopping trip?" He looked confused as if he was trying to read Alice's mind but she wasn't giving away anything.

"Yeah Alice, I really appreciate the offer but I'm really, really tired. It's been a very long day. Thank you so much though for the spaghetti and everything." I hoped that my declining her offer didn't upset her much but it didn't seem to.

"No problem Bella. There's always tomorrow. We can chat then. Did you want me to stay tonight? I don't want the neighbors to tell Charlie you were here alone with Edward all night. They will notice his car."

"That would be great. Thanks Alice."

"Edward? Is that ok with you? You seem to want to get rid of me."

"Of course it's ok, Alice. Would I have called you if it wasn't? Bella needs all of the family she can get right now. Thank you for coming and thank you for staying."

Alice and Edward sat with me while I ate the surprisingly tasty spaghetti Alice had made. Afterwards, we headed into the living room to watch the flat screen.

Alice looked pre-occupied most of the night and I could see Edward from time to time glancing over at her with that confused look again. I knew it probably meant something but I was too tired to care.

I opened my eyes and was surprised to see daylight outside of my bedroom window.

"Good morning" he said as he quietly laid down beside me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me on the back of my head.

"Morning? What time is it? How did I…?"

"You fell asleep on the couch last night, Sweetheart. I knew how tired you must have been so I didn't want to wake you. I carried you up here so you could sleep better."

I almost forgot about Charlie as Edward was so close to me, breathing on me, wrapping his arms around me tighter as he told me what happened last night. As he held me, I remembered when he finally admitted to me what he was, a vampire, trying to scare me off because he was afraid he would hurt me. He told me everything about him invited me in. His face, his skin, even his smell. He was so right.

"Thank you and good morning to you too." My voice was rough. I needed a drink of water and to brush my teeth. "Do you mind if I take a human minute to go wash up?" I hated that Edward got to see me in such a mess when I woke up and that he always looked perfect. He would usually go home and change in the middle of the night while I was sleeping.

"Oh wait. I should probably call the hospital first to check up on Charlie before we head over there."

He smiled and scanned my body from head to toe as if he liked the way I looked when I woke up in the morning. He was strange that way. "Take all the human minutes you need and don't worry about Charlie. I called Carlisle several times throughout the night to check in. He ran all of his tests and they all came back fine. There is no blockage and no permanent damage to his heart. Carlisle wants to keep him in the hospital for at least one more day though, just to be on the safe side."

"Oh thank God. Thank you so much for doing that, Edward. I don't know how I would have gotten through this without you."

"It was my pleasure. You will never have to go through anything without me Bella. I am yours and will always be here for you."

When we arrived at the hospital Charlie was sitting up, talking and laughing with Alice who had gotten here about an hour before we did. He looked so much better than he did just less than 24 hours ago. The IVs were gone minus one and he didn't have the oxygen tube around his nose anymore. He was however still hooked up to the heart monitor.

"Bells! Come on in! Good morning, Edward!" He was way too happy for someone who just had a heart attack.

"Hey dad, how are you feeling?" I stepped up next to his bed and kissed him on the cheek.

"Alice here was just filling me on some of the secret wedding plans. It sounds like it is going to be a heck

of a party." Charlie was actually sounding happy about the wedding? Something weird was going on.

"Since when have you been interested in wedding plans, Dad? Are you sure you're ok? Did Carlisle check your head to be sure you didn't hit it when you fell?"

Charlie laughed and shook his head at me. "Bells, I have a new outlook on life. I realize now that life can be taken away from you at any time. I'm glad you and Edward are seizing the moment and going after your dreams. Life is too short to waste it not doing what you want or not being with the person you love. I see that now. It seems you two have been smarter about this than me this whole time. I'm looking forward to seeing you and Edward start your life together."

"As am I," Carlisle said walking into the room. He had on his same doctor's jacket and was holding the same clipboard in his hand as he had yesterday. For a brief second I was thinking that he must be tired from being up all night but then remembered that Carlisle didn't get tired. He never had to sleep.

"Good morning, Chief, Bella, Edward, Alice. Charlie, I have all of your test results back and besides your high cholesterol everything is fine. The bad news is I am keeping you here for one more day just to be cautious and to be sure you get some more rest."

"That's nonsense Doc." I could tell Charlie wasn't happy. "Look at me; I'm fit as a fiddle."

Carlisle sat on the side of his bed. "Charlie, even though this was a minor heart attack we still need to take this very seriously. I promise I'll spring you out of here tomorrow but there will be some conditions on me doing so."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah….no steak and cobbler. I remember."

"Well, there is more to it than that." Carlisle was looking at him sternly so as to make him understand how serious he was being. "The watching what you eat is very important. I'll be sending in a nutritionist shortly to go over your new diet with you. But more importantly I need you to take it extremely easy for the next few weeks. As I said before a heart attack is very serious, no matter how small it is. You shouldn't undergo any kind of stress so you will need to let someone else protect the citizens of Forks for a little while. You have some good men in your unit and I'm sure any one of them would be happy to step up to the plate for you for a while."

I thought Charlie's heart monitor would start beeping uncontrollably as I watched his face slowly turn red. "Look doc, I'll follow all of your instructions that I can but I can't take off work for 3 weeks. I'm right in the middle of something that needs my focus." I couldn't help but wonder what Charlie was referring to. He usually told me about every case he was working on.

"It's going to have to wait, Charlie. If you want to get back to work you need to follow my advice and get enough rest first. You're not going to be of any help to anyone if something like this happens again. And next time it will probably be a lot worse."

"Thank you Carlisle" I interrupted. "I'll see to it that Charlie behaves even if it means I have to tie him down to the couch."

"That's all well and good Bella but you and Edward are getting married in just over a week. Charlie will have to be responsible for his own wellness once you have left for your honeymoon. If he follows my instructions he should be well enough to walk you down the aisle next Saturday but that should be the only excitement he has for a while."

Charlie eventually gave in and told Carlisle he would abide to all his rules. I wasn't convinced he would.

As we all got up to leave because Carlisle insisted we let Charlie get some rest, Alice pulled me to the corner of the room. "Bella, can you please come by the house now? There is something I need to talk to you about. Just some last minute wedding stuff." I could see Edward out of the corner of my eye looking at Alice confused again.

"Ah…sure Alice. I was planning on going over and spending the day with Edward anyway."

"Great! I'll see you there." As she danced off to leave, she gave Charlie a sweet kiss on the cheek and said she would stop by his house tomorrow when he was released and home. Charlie seemed very pleased. He really loved Alice like a second daughter.

Driving to Edward's house all I could think about was Charlie. Sure, for the next 8 days I could be there to take care of him but what was going to happen when Edward and I left for our honeymoon? I knew he wasn't going to take Carlisle's advice and take it easy. As soon as I was gone he would be right back to work and right back at the diner.

The silence must have been killing Edward so he took one hand off of the steering wheel and put it on my knee. "Are you going to tell me what you're thinking? You have been awfully quiet. Too quiet. It's driving me mad. "

"I'm sorry Edward. I was just thinking about Charlie. I'm worried about him."

"As you should be." His response didn't really surprise me. "I can tell you without a doubt that Charlie isn't planning on listening to doctor's orders once he gets out of the hospital. He was just trying to get Carlisle to back off by telling him what he wanted to hear."

"Yes, I know. I don't need to be able to read minds to tell you that was exactly what Charlie was thinking. I know him too well."

"So what should we do about the situation? I'm on board with whatever torture methods you are planning for your dad to be sure he follows the rules." He looked at me smiling which would normally turn me to mush and make me forget everything I was thinking but I just had too much on my mind.

When he noticed I didn't have my normal reaction to him he sighed and took his hand off of my knee and brought it back to the steering wheel. He didn't say anything else and just stared out the windshield with a look that could not be mistaken for anything but frustration.

When we reached the Cullen's house Edward opened my door and helped me out of the car. "Bella, would you mind terribly if I went hunting with Emmitt for a while?"

"Of course not." I knew Edward needed to get away for a while.

"I think Alice has something she wants to talk to you about anyway but she has been doing a very good job keeping her thoughts to herself. Between the two of you it has been an incredibly frustrating two days for me."

"I know it's been Edward. I'm so sorry, really. You've been so great throughout this and I feel terrible I'm making you frustrated. I'm not trying to keep anything from you I promise. I'm just trying to sort through all of this Charlie business."

Edward smiled and grabbed my face with both hands to kiss me. "No worries sweet Bella. I know you don't drive me mad on purpose." He smiled and walked me inside.

Edward and Emmitt left to go out hunting. It was a typical foggy day so they wouldn't have to go too far into the woods. It shouldn't be a long trip for them.

I knocked on Alice's bedroom door and she yelled for me to come in.

"Hi Bella. Thanks for coming. Come on over and have a seat."

I was very curious right now about what Alice wanted to talk to me about. She didn't have the same excitement in her voice that she always has when talking about the wedding details so I knew it wasn't about that.

"Bella, I've been having visions for the past 24 hours that are very confusing. I used to see you up at the altar with Edward as plain as day but starting yesterday, that image has constantly been changing. One minute you are there, the next minute you aren't. I know you know how my visions work. They change as people change their minds or the paths they are on. I'm only telling you this because the visions show me how torn you are. You are rethinking everything now because of Charlie. One minute you think Charlie will be fine and that you will go on with your current plans. The next you are thinking that Charlie needs you and this isn't the time to be thinking of yourself."

I don't know why I was so stunned by Alice's revelation. I knew I had been thinking about Charlie and how it was going to be too hard to leave him right now but I didn't think about what that meant. Was it possible I was even considering calling off the wedding? Giving up my future with Edward as an immortal? The future I wanted so desperately? Is that why Alice couldn't see me at the altar as clearly as she once did anymore?

"Bella, I'm your friend. I want to help. I know what an excruciating decision this must be for you. I know I've been more excited about this wedding then you wanted me to be but I wanted to let you know that there is nothing that cannot be undone. There's nothing wrong with postponing the wedding to take care of Charlie. It's the right thing to do."

I knew what Alice was saying was right, and it did make me feel better to think of the wedding and my immortality as postponed instead of cancelled, but that didn't seem to help the nauseated feeling that had overcome me. What would Edward think? Would he think I am chickening out and going back on my side of the deal? Would he still be willing to honor his part of the deal at a later date, when he has had more time to think about it? The thought of it made my heart stop. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

As if she was reading my thoughts, "Bella, if it's Edward you're worried about, don't. If you haven't noticed Edward has amazing patience. I'm sure he will understand. And I can assure you that your future you are hoping for is still there. I see it as clearly as I always have. "

My future as Edward's immortal partner was still there. It was like a huge weight was lifted from my chest and I could breathe a little easier. Still, what about Edward? What is he going to think?

"Thank you Alice. You're a great friend, well, great sister actually." She smiled as if saying she liked the idea of being my sister. "You're right. I know I have to postpone the wedding and take care of Charlie until I know he will be ok."

"I know you know" she said with a mocking smile. "My vision just showed the wedding isn't there anymore. At least not now."

"I know I'm making the right decision, but Alice, how do I tell Edward? What will he think of me?"

"Well, Bella, I…uh… don't think you need to worry about telling Edward. I'm pretty sure he

already knows."

I saw her look over me towards the door and my heart stopped again. I turned around and there he was.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Changes

"Sorry Bella," Alice said apologetically. "I should have seen him coming."

I could feel Edward's eyes on me but I couldn't look. The room was so quiet you could hear the tension.

"Um, well, I guess I will leave you two alone. You have lots to talk about." You could hear the awkwardness in Alice's voice. "Ok, well, I will see you later then."

I could see Edward out of the corner of my eye, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. When I finally got the courage to look up at his face, I couldn't tell from his expression what he was thinking, what he read in Alice's mind, or what all he knew.

With one eyebrow raised, he finally spoke, "Evidently it appears we have something to talk about. May I sit and join you?" His voice and demeanor were very calm. He walked across the room slowly and sat down next to me on the pink, furry couch Alice had in her room.

"Yes we do, but first let me ask you, what are you doing back so soon? Did you pretend to go out hunting just so you could spy on me?"

"Is that what you think I was doing?" He looked hurt. "Bella, I have far too much respect for you to do that. I admit, in the past, that I may have overstepped my bounds from time to time but that was only when I thought you were in danger. I would never intentionally disrespect your privacy unless it was to protect you."

"Then why are you back so soon?" I wanted to believe what he was saying but what other reason could there be?

"I came back because of something Alice was thinking. I was seeing some of her visions, something I have been trying to do for the past day or so but she has been blocking me out. I was seeing you fade in and out of them and it frightened me. When I saw you one minute and then you were gone the next, I had to come back to be sure you were ok."

"OK, sorry I jumped to conclusions. But how come all of a sudden you were able to see what Alice was thinking again?"

"I can always get in Alice's head, Bella, but she has a very clever way of blocking things out of her mind. Whenever she sensed I was trying to read her, and with her gift she always knows when I am going to try, she would mentally start singing When the Saints Come Marching In. After a while I would give up because I couldn't bear to hear it anymore. It was quite irritating. Anyway, when she was talking to you, I started seeing what she was seeing but it wasn't clear. It didn't make any sense why she kept seeing you and then losing you a minute later."

"So you don't know what we were talking about? You didn't see any of that?" I was almost hoping he did because I didn't want to have to tell him myself.

He raised his one eye brow again and looked like he was trying to be serious but I couldn't help but notice he had a little glimmer in his eyes, "Once I was here I believe I was able to see enough through Alice to pretty much understand what is going on."

"Oh." I was trying to read his face but I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"That is all you have to say for yourself? Oh? You don't want to marry me and all you can say is Oh?"

"Edward, of course I want to marry you! I….I…I just need to be with Charlie right now. Don't you think this decision is killing me? Don't you understand I want to start forever with you more badly then I have ever wanted anything before?"

I was surprised when Edward grabbed me and kissed me while he was mischievously laughing quietly. "Bella, it is so fun to tease you." He put his arms more tightly around me and kissed me again. He knew right now that would be the only thing that was going to shut me up.

"Sweetheart, did you actually think I was going to be mad at you? Did you really think I wouldn't understand?"

"I don't know, maybe, I guess. I mean this was the one and only condition you asked me to fulfill in order to start our new life together."

"Bella, my condition was that you were to marry me, not marry me this week. If I am to be perfectly honest with you, I am actually relieved that this is what you decided. You know I was never in a hurry for any of this to happen."

It felt like a knife was just stabbed through my heart. This was my worst fear, what I worried about. Edward is relieved he doesn't have to commit to me for eternity. I could feel the tears coming. "Are you crying?" Edward sounded surprised.

"What did you expect Edward? This is exactly why I was worried about postponing the wedding. That it would give you more time to change your mind about everything, about me. Evidently you didn't need _that_ much time."

Edward chuckled a little as he leaned over to kiss my tears away. "You silly, emotional, wonderful girl. I thought we were passed your questioning how much I love you. When I said I was relieved, it wasn't because I changed my mind. I still have every intention of making you my wife and living up to my end of our agreement, whether it is next week or, next year. I am relieved because I was worried your impatience to become a monster and your unrelenting human hormones were going to stop you from doing the right thing. You see Bella, if you would have decided to go through with everything and not be there for Charlie, you would have regretted it for all eternity. You would have also grown to resent me for it as well. I could not live with that."

"How is it you always know the right things to say?" I couldn't help but laugh a little through the tears.

"That is easy. I see you more clearly than you see yourself." He lifted his hand onto my cheek to wipe away the few tears that were remaining.

I laid my head on his lap and he stroked my hair. "So, I guess we should pick a new wedding date." Even though we were going to wait I didn't want to wait too long. "Carlisle said Charlie should be back on his feet in about three weeks, so how about September 15th?"

"Bella, I know you are in a hurry but there is no need to be. I know you have some insane notion that every day you are getting older than me but the truth is you will never be older than me, at least as far as life experiences go. And I hardly think you will be developing crow's feet and needing false teeth in the next couple of years. I am fairly certain you will look just as young and beautiful as you do now when you are 20, 21 or even 25. Why don't we just play it by ear and see how things progress."

I couldn't really argue with him this time, even though I wanted to. I did want to be around for Charlie until I knew for sure he was going to be alright.

"How about Christmas Eve? That gives us 4 months. That is plenty of time for me to be sure Charlie is ok. And is it perfect that we will be on our honeymoon for Christmas and you can finally give me my present." I couldn't help smiling just thinking about it. He couldn't help looking worried.

He argued for a minute that he still thought I was rushing things but I wasn't going to budge. Even though I knew I was doing the right thing for Charlie I still didn't like that our plans were delayed. He finally realized I meant business and wasn't going to take no for an answer so with a heavy sigh Edward had agreed.

The next day Edward drove me to the hospital to pick up Charlie. When we got home we explained to Charlie that we were pushing the wedding date out a few months because we wanted more time to plan. Two weeks to plan a wedding wasn't much time, even for Alice. We knew that if we told him I wanted to be there to take care of him that he would have insisted he didn't need a babysitter and that we went ahead with the wedding as originally planned.

During the next couple of days Edward and I contemplated our college options since there was no way I could leave Charlie alone right now and go all the way to New Hampshire to attend Dartmouth. This was trickier to get past Charlie but we ended up convincing him we wanted to get our feet wet here first before we dove into an Ivy League school. We would go to Dartmouth next year. He didn't like it but finally gave in and said we were old enough to make our own decisions. We would have to come up with something after the wedding, after I was changed, as to why we changed our minds and were moving to New Hampshire mid-school year, but we would cross that bridge when we came to it.

We ended up deciding on Peninsula College located in the Olympic Mountains in Port Angeles. They had a late admittance policy and were more than happy to welcome students that had been accepted into an Ivy League school. It was going to be a commute, about an hour each way for normal people, but probably only half an hour for us the way Edward drove. Unfortunately on sunny days, even though they are few and far between, I would have to drive myself to class for obvious reasons. Alice and Jasper had agreed to join us. They said they already had more Ivy League experiences then they needed and were looking forward to a place that wouldn't be so demanding.

I hated to admit it but I was happy things were moving along like they were. Alice had assured me that my future as a vampire was still there. I could be with Edward, with the same limitations unfortunately, be here for Charlie, and I was even looking forward to starting Peninsula next week. It didn't even really bother me much anymore that I was going to be another few months older than Edward by the time I joined him in immortality. Everything seemed to be working out effortlessly. After all we had been through in the past two years; it was almost too good to be true.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Encounter

A week had gone by and Charlie seemed to be doing just fine. He was restless of course and tried to sneak out of the house a couple times but his efforts were futile as Edward was always on to him.

I got up early because I wanted to cook Charlie his egg white omelet before Edward, Alice and Jasper picked me up for our first day of college. I didn't think I would be excited about having to go back to school but I was. I was really looking forward to the photography class I had enrolled in. Ever since Charlie had given me a camera for my 18th birthday, I had become somewhat of a shutter bug and found I had quite a knack for it. Mostly I took pictures of Edward which is probably why my pictures were so good, how could they not be with him as the subject, but I also photographed the different areas in Forks, especially the meadow where Edward and I fell in love.

By the time I showered and dressed, Charlie was already at the kitchen table reading his newspaper. "Morning Bells! Are you ready for your first day of higher learning?"

"Good morning Dad. You sound awfully chipper this morning. This wouldn't be because I'm leaving you for a while today and you will finally have some freedom is it?" I knew what he was thinking; well Edward actually saw it last night. He thought he was going to be able to sneak to the station for a while once I left this morning.

"I'm chipper because my one and only daughter is starting college today. This is a very proud day for fathers."

"Oh good, then you won't mind that I called Billy last night and asked him to come keep an eye on you today." I was trying to hide my smile so I turned to the stove to start his omelet.

"Oh, Bella, you didn't. Billy has better things to do then come over here and hold me hostage. When are you going to stop mothering me? I'm perfectly fine. Doc Cullen even said so himself when you brought me in for my follow up appointment yesterday."

"Yes, he did. He also said that you have another two weeks of resting to do. You should enjoy this time off Dad. You have worked every day of your life for a long time. You've earned this."

"I'm going crazy here, Bells. Taking it easy is definitely not something I was born to do. Did you ever stop to think that taking it easy is stressing me out more than work would?"

"Nice try Dad," I said as I brought him his omelet.

He looked down at the plate with disgust. "Can't I at least have some cheese on this thing?"

I was about to go through the rules of his diet yet again, when there was a knock on the door. I heard the door open and recognized the most wonderful sound in the world.

"Good morning Bella, Charlie." His smile wanted to make me forget all about Peninsula and just ravage him in my room all day.

"Edward," Charlie said as he forced himself to take another bite of omelet.

"So, are you ready for your first day of higher education?" It took me a minute to hear him as I was still staring at his beauty, heart pounding. He had on jeans, a blue shirt that hung perfectly off of his rock hard chest, and a tan leather jacket. The man had style but he didn't need it. His face would look perfect with anything he wore.

"Uh, yeah, just let me grab my stuff." He smiled a sexy smile as if he knew what I was thinking. Sometimes I think he was just lying about not being able to read my mind.

As I returned to the kitchen I reminded Charlie that Billy would be there any minute so he should forget all about his escape plans. He grumbled something and wished us luck on our first day.

Edward put his arm around me as we walked out the front door. "Are you ok? You seem a little dazzled this morning." You could hear the smile in his voice.

"That's an understatement. You know, you should try to tone that down. It isn't fair."

He laughed as he opened the car door.

"Hey Bella!" Alice was always so perky.

"Hey Alice, hey Jasper."

"Good morning Bella. You look lovely today." Jasper had made an effort to be extra nice to me since my 18h birthday party when I gave myself a paper cut and he tried to attack me. I told him not to worry about it, that I understood he couldn't control himself at the time, but I could tell he never really forgave himself.

As Edward pulled out of the drive, we saw Jacob's car coming down the street. Edward slowly passed him, glaring at him like he was his arch enemy. Jacob's reaction was no different.

"Unbelievable." Edward murmured.

"What's unbelievable?" I asked curiously.

"That guy just won't give up."

"Edward, he's only here to drop off Billy. I;m sure there is no hidden agenda behind it."

"I can assure you there is. There is always a hidden agenda with him as far as you are concerned." He was expressionless as he looked out the windshield.

"Edward relax," Alice chimed in from the back seat. "You shouldn't waste your time worrying about him. Your ultimate future with Bella is the same as it always was. I don't see him being an issue."

"That isn't the point Alice. He still thinks of Bella in a way that, well, he shouldn't."

"I'm sure that he only does that to get under your skin Edward." I tried to sound convincing, like I believed it.

He looked at me and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I am sure that's it."

When we got to the campus I was impressed at how big it was. Since coming here was a last minute decision, we hadn't had an opportunity to visit the school beforehand. I had Edward, Alice and Jasper all gather together for a picture right outside of the administrative building. I thought they would be more reluctant as they were sick of me photographing them allthe time but they were all in a good mood so they happily obliged me.

The day progressed nicely. Edward and I had the same classes together with the exception of my photography class so it was nice I got to be with him most of the day.

He walked me to my photography class and kissed me as he went to walk around the campus as he had a free period. I was excited to see what the class was going to entail and what I could learn. If I wasn't going to be a vampire in 3 months I would have seriously considered this as a career.

It was here that I first saw them. My Jaw dropped as they glided into the room with the grace of gazelles. I hadn't seen anything like them since, well, since I first saw the Cullens in the lunch room back at Forks High School.

There were three of them, 2 women and 1 man. They were absolutely breathtaking. The girl on the left was dark skinned, had long black hair hanging straight down her back, and a body any Hollywood actress would envy. The girl on the right had long, dirty blond hair that she had thrown back in a ponytail, legs that went up to her neck and stunning amber eyes. The guy in the middle had jet black hair and black eyes and was probably the second most beautiful man I had ever seen. He had his arms thrown over both girls' shoulders as they laughed, walking to get to their seats.

Could it be? Could they be vampires? Humans just weren't that perfect. Alice hadn't seen any visions of any other vampires in the area since Victoria and the younglings; at least I didn't think so. I grabbed my camera and got a couple of shots off before they noticed and glared at me. Their dark eyes met mine and they looked at me like they wanted me for lunch. I felt a shudder go down my spine. I immediately started taking pictures of everyone else in the class so it looked like I was just randomly shooting, not focusing on them. When I finally looked back at them they were talking amongst each other and they seemed to have forgotten all about me.

I couldn't take me eyes off of them as the professor went through what we would be doing in class this semester. I was fascinated by them and terrified at the same time.

When class was finally over, I hurried out the door and was surprised to see Edward, Alice and Jasper all standing right outside. Edward pulled me to his side quickly without saying a word. As the three of them walked out the door behind me, I could feel Edward tense up immediately. He was holding me very close to him.

Their eyes met with the Cullen's and a look of surprise and amusement came over their faces. Alice was the first one to speak. "Hi, I'm Alice Cullen. This is Jasper, Edward and his finance Bella."

"Fiancé?" The black haired bombshell sniffed. "How interesting; I'm Megan and these are my friends Alexis and Nathan."

No one else said a word; they just nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Edward looked back and forth between them, obviously scanning their thoughts.

"So Megan, are you new to the area?" Alice made it seem like an innocent question but I knew she was fishing.

"Yes, we just moved here a couple of weeks ago. It seemed like the perfect place to hang out for a while with all of the clouds and rain."

"Oh, so you plan on staying in the area then?"

"Why, yes, we do."

"Well, we'll have to be sure to get together sometime soon, get to know each other." Alice was very welcoming. It surprised me.

"Yes, we'll have to do that. Well, we will see you around then," Megan said as they started walking away. She stopped when she was about to pass Edward, standing way too close to him for my liking, and winked at him. They walked down the hall and we just stood there quietly until were out of site.

No one said a word until we got to the car. This was something that couldn't be talked about with hundreds of students all over the place. Edward had loosened his grip around my waist but he hadn't let go either.

When we were all in the car, I could see Edward look through the rear view mirror and nod at Alice. What was she telling him? Did she have a vision?

"Edward, what's going on?"

He grabbed my hand as he kept one hand on the wheel "Alice had a vision earlier. You were in trouble. The three of them were stalking you after class."

"Oh my god! Are they stalking me now?" I felt a familiar terror sweep over me. This wasn't the first time vampires wanted to kill me

"No, Bella," Alice quickly jumped in. The vision changed not too long after I had it. Did something happen in class that would have made them target you out like that?"

I explained to them about taking the pictures of them, them staring at me like I was lunch; then starting to photograph everyone else so they didn't get suspicious.

"It must have worked, throwing them off like that. That is why my vision changed. Nice, quick thinking Bella!"

"So, if your vision changed, why were you all waiting for me outside of class?"

"Bella," Edward said in a very serious tone, "they are vampires. Most vampires as you know are not like us. Just because Alice's vision changed doesn't mean that you were definitely out of danger. Besides, we needed to check them out, see what they were up to."

"Were you able to get anything from them, I mean, from their minds?"

"No, not really. I didn't see any hostility against any of us. What did seem odd is it seemed that when Alice introduced us that they knew us, or of us anyway. I didn't see anything we should be alarmed about."

When we arrived at my house Edward escorted me to the door. He said that they had to go and talk to Carlisle to let him know about the situation. I was sad to see him go as always but he promised he ould be back tonight when Charlie was asleep.

"Don't worry Sweetheart. I really don't think anything will come of this. We just need to keep an eye on them." He grabbed my face with his smooth hands and kissed me gently. "I will see you tonight. Oh, and by the way, Charlie had another visitor today besides Jacob and Billy. He is hiding the evidence under the couch cushion right now. You may want to ask him about it." His voice faded as he walked to the car.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Trouble

Charlie was sitting on the couch with the remote control in hand when I went in. I was surprised to not see Billy there.

"Dad, where's Billy?"

"Oh, Jacob came and got him about 30 minutes ago. Don't worry; I was only alone a half hour. I swear I didn't leave the house, Mom. So tell me about your day? How did it go?"

"Uh, it was good." I proceeded to tell him about my classes and the campus. I left out the scary vampire stuff.

"So Dad, are you ready for some dinner?" I had to think of a way to get him off of that couch.

"By dinner do you mean more rabbit food?"

"I thought I would make some roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots tonight."

"Sounds good. You know Bells; you don't have to wait on me hand and foot. I'm sure you have some studying to do."

"No, not really. Today was basically just an introduction to our professors and classes."

"Well, why don't you spend some time with Edward? I don't want you to think you have to be here for me all of time."

"Dad, if I didn't know better I'd think you are trying to get rid of me," I said suspiciously.

"Don't be silly. I just feel bad that you're spending almost every minute of your time doting over me. You're young; you should be out with your friends."

"I'm right where I want to be, Dad. Really." I knew he meant it but couldn't help thinking he wanted me gone for some reason.

When the chicken was done I called Charlie to the kitchen.

"Yum, it smells great. You really are quite a cook, Bells. I don't know where you got it from. I can barely open a can of soup and your mom, well, you've tasted her food."

Charlie noticed that I didn't have a plate out for myself. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"No, Edward actually took me out for pizza after classes were over. I'm not very hungry." It was always good when I could throw something like that in. Even though Edward didn't eat human food it was good to give people the illusion he did.

Charlie must have heard me rummaging around the living room. He got up from the table and saw me lifting up the couch cushions.

"What are you doing?" He said with a certain amount of alarm in his voice.

"Umm, I lost an earring a couple of days ago and…wait, what is this?" I pulled out a manila envelope with the word confidential stamped on the outside. I recognized it instantly. It was a police case envelope. Charlie had brought them home almost every night from the office.

I held the envelope up in one hand, "I thought you said you didn't leave the house today?"

Looking busted, Charlie sighed "I didn't. My deputy Mark brought it over to me."

"Dad, you know what Carlisle said, no working!"

"Bells, I am going stir crazy here. Besides, it isn't even my case."

"If it isn't your case why did you have Mark bring it all the way over here for you."

"It's something I'm just keeping an eye on. There's been some trouble in Port Angeles lately and I wanted to keep on top of things. It technically isn't even work."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. Now can I please have my file back?"

"Ok, I'll let you have this one if you promise to stick to doctors orders from now on."

"You have my word."

Now that Charlie was fed and relaxing comfortably on the couch channel surfing, I decided to go to my room and look through all of the information I got from my classes today.

I was pleasantly surprised when I flicked on the light and Edward was there, lying on my bed smiling at me.

"You're early," I said as I sat on the bed, on top of him, straddling my legs across his stomach.

"I missed you," he said quietly as he pulled me down to kiss him.

I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I stretched out, now laying on top of him. His sweet scent and heavy breathing made my body feel like it was on fire from head to toe. I was glad his body was so cold or I might have overheated.

He flipped me over and now was on top of me, bracing himself on the mattress with one hand so he didn't crush me. His other hand had grabbed my leg and bent it up so our hips were crushed tightly together. I started to shiver as he kissed up and down my throat, behind my ear, moving back to my lips.

"Too cold?" he grinned, knowing very well that wasn't why I was trembling, as he kissed me again. I couldn't believe this was happening. Edward didn't seem to be pulling away. Could this really be it?

His kisses grew stronger now; his lips moving urgently and harmoniously with mine. He gently moved his hand from my leg to my head, pushing my hair back away from my face and looked at me like I have never seen him look at me before. "Bella Swan, you are making it harder and harder for me to resist you." He gave me my favorite half grin and kissed me passionately again.

"Then don't," is all I could get out before he kissed me again.

I was literally having an out of body experience when Edward jumped up in a flash and hid in the closet.

There was a knock on my bedroom door.

"Bella, I'm going to turn in early and do some reading. I'll see you in the morning."

I heard his footsteps walking away down the hall. "Ok, good night." I was hoping Charlie didn't hear my heavy breathing. It was all I could do to spit those three words out.

Edward slowly opened the closet door and I could instantly see that familiar, worried look on his face. It was over.

He came and sat back on the bed and grabbed me up into his lap. "That was a close one." I knew he wasn't talking about Charlie almost busting us.

"Yeah, close."

He quietly laughed at my disappointed tone. "You are quite determined to have your way with me aren't you?"

"I've made no secret of that, Edward." I was too close to him. I could smell him and it wasn't helping me regain my composure.

I got up from his lap and went over to my computer to check to see if Renee had emailed me. She worried if she didn't hear back from me the same day.

"So what did Carlisle have to say when you talked to him this afternoon?" I had to think of something else to get my heart rate down.

"He doesn't think we have anything to immediately worry about. There has been no news on any kind of attacks in the area lately so we are just going to keep an eye on things. Alice will be on the lookout of course and we will try to keep tabs on them at school."

It hit me when he said "no news on any attacks in the area."

"Edward, remember when you told me about Charlie's other visitor today?"

"Yes, he was obviously worried about you finding out."

"Well, the visitor was someone from the station. They had brought him a file; that is what he was hiding under the couch. Charlie didn't tell me what it was exactly, but he did say it had something to do with some trouble in Port Angeles."

Edward sat up and his eyes suddenly looked a million miles away. I knew he was trying to read Charlie. He sat there quietly for the longest time. I was trying to read his expression but it was stone cold, blank.

He finally looked up at me after about 10 minutes. He looked worried. "Charlie is reading the file right now. There were two gruesome killings in Port Angeles a couple of weeks ago. The police are trying to keep it under wraps so people don't panic."

My eyes grew wide, "Do you think it was them?"

"I am fairly certain it was. It would be too much of a coincidence as they arrived in town right about the same time."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing tonight. I want to stay here with you. If there was any danger Alice would have let us know. I will talk to Carlisle and the others again tomorrow when I go to pick up the car.

Edward and I spent the rest of the night going through our course information we got today. He was very careful to keep a safe distance between us. He said he had used up all the self-control he had for one day.

When I woke up he was gone already. I looked over and on the pillow next to me was a note:

_My Dearest Bella,_

_I went back to the house to change and talk to Carlisle. I will pick you up at 7:30._

_I wanted to let you know I had a wonderful time with you last night. I wish it could have gone further but you know why it couldn't. It is getting easier for me my love, every time it gets easier. My desire and love for you are definitely winning out over everything else. Please be patient with me. We will get there._

_All my love,_

_Edward_

Edward was prompt as usual. Charlie had convinced me he didn't need a babysitter today and since he already had the file he wanted, I believed him.

When I got into the car I immediately asked Edward how his conversation with Carlisle went earlier.

"Carlisle agrees that the murders were probably their doing. He still thinks that we don't have anything to worry about right now but he is concerned about their hunting habits. They are too close to home so he is going to work on a plan to have a sit-down with them to make them aware of our concerns. Right now he just wants us to play it cool."

When we got to Peninsula it was raining cats and dogs. It was a little easier today finding our way around campus to our classes. My heart started beating a little faster as Edward walked me to my final class of the day, photography. I know Edward had said there was nothing to worry about but I couldn't help being nervous given my previous experience with other vampires.

I looked up at him as when we got to the door I was surprised Edward walked in with me instead of saying goodbye.

He shrugged his shoulders, "I called yesterday afternoon, they had an opening…."

It probably should have made me more nervous that he thought he needed to be there with me but I felt relieved instead. Nothing made me feel safer than having Edward with me.

A couple of minutes had passed by before they walked in. Megan in all her perfectness was leading the way, Nathan and Alexis followed. I didn't think it would be possible, but they looked even more beautiful than yesterday.

Megan looked up and gave me a quick blank glance, then seductively stared down Edward, winking at him again and licking her lips. Edward didn't acknowledge her; he just turned to look over at me, smiled, and grabbed my hand.

I don't know how long I sat there with my mouth hanging open in shock by her actions, but Edward was right on top of it. He held my hand tighter and rubbed tiny circles around the back of my hand with his thumb, trying to comfort me as the professor talked about the famous photographers of the world such as Ansel Adams and Annie Leibovitz. I am sure he mentioned many more but my thoughts were obviously elsewhere.

I thought I heard an assignment given out but wasn't sure. Hopefully Edward caught it. As class was dismissed, she got up and looked only at Edward this time. She smiled at him revealing her perfect teeth and then the threesome took off.

Everyone was out of the room now but the two of us. I saw Edward get up and scratch his fingers on his head, as if he was trying to think of something to say.

"Um, Bella, are you ready to go?" He sounded as awkward as he looked.

Still holding on to my hand, he had never let go once, he pulled me up and grabbed my books for me with his other hand. I just stared ahead, still not believing what had just happened.

He started to chuckle. "Oh Bella, you aren't going to let her bother you are you?" He laid the books down on the desk and pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I wrapped my arms around him too, squeezing him with every ounce of strength I had in me. I decided I was going to stay right in this same spot forever and never let him go.

He started laughing a little harder, "Sweetheart, we are going to have to move and leave here eventually." I didn't budge.

Another minute passed before he pushed me away a little. He grabbed my chin with his hand and forced me to look up at him. Shaking his head with a smile, "What do I have to do to make you finally realize that I only have eyes for you?"

"Edward did you see her? Did you see the way she looked at you? Did you see how incredibly beautiful she is? How… how can I even compete with that?"

He grabbed our books again and grabbed my hand and started walking us out the door, talking in a very casual, non-shalant voice, "Question one, Yes, I saw her. Question two, as far as the beautiful part goes, I have seen much, much better." He squeezed my hand and smiled, still looking ahead as we were walking. "And question three, as far as competition goes, there is none. There never could be. In a competition you win something and there is nothing for her to win. You already own my heart."

"Well, can you at least tell me what she was thinking? I mean, I _know_ what she was thinking, but details would be nice. It would be good to know what I'm dealing with."

"It really doesn't matter what she was thinking one way or the other, Bella. It is irrelevant. I am a little concerned about it though."

"Why are you concerned? She isn't thinking of molesting you is she?" I was sure she was. I thought about it several times a day myself.

He laughed. "No, it is nothing like that...well…..not the part I am worried about anyway." He looked at me and winked. "What worries me is that she really isn't thinking these things, it is more like she is telling me these things, like she knows I can hear her."

"What? How can that be? Do you think she's like you and can read minds too?"

"I don't know. I suppose that could be a possibility."

Great, now I couldn't get rid of the image of them having some kind of mind sex, like internet sex without the hassle of having to type.

"I certainly hope that is not the case," he said, concern in his voice. "That would make things a lot more difficult if things end up getting, well, ugly for lack of a better word. We wouldn't have that advantage over them."

"Anyway, can we change the subject please? I don't want to waste any more time on someone who is so unimportant. I would much rather talk about something that is important, like you." He smiled as he opened the car door for me.

The rest of the week was pretty much the same. Megan continued to brain flirt with Edward which he swore adamantly he paid no attention to. I was actually relieved it was Friday and I wouldn't have to worry about it for a couple of days.

We were going over to the Cullens after school as Charlie insisted I was spending way too much time at home. I was looking forward to it as I hadn't seen Esme since this whole thing with Charlie happened.

Edward was very quiet and distracted on the ride like he was very deep in thought. I asked him if everything was OK and he insisted it was. I decided not to press him on the issue and leave it alone. I couldn't allow myself to think he was lost in thought about her. It would drive me insane.

It appeared that Esme was just as happy to see me as I was to see her. We sat in the kitchen and caught up while Edward was in the living room talking with Carlisle, Alice and Jasper.

When we walked into the living room I heard Edward say, "No, it was unlike every other time. It has never been like this before. Something was definitely different. It was like I was watching myself on a movie or something. And Carlisle, your theory is wrong. There is no way, not in a thousand years would I …."

"What's different?" Esme asked.

They all stood there like deer caught in the headlights.

"Nothing important," Edward said.

Alice chimed in "It appears that Edward is stealing from me." She sounded annoyed.

"No, I'm not," Edward mumbled through his clenched teeth.

"What? What is going on? Edward?" He turned to look at me with confusion and anger in his eyes.

"Great, thank you Alice," sarcasm was heavy in his voice.

"Bella, why don't we go up to my room to talk about this? Esme, I'm sure Carlisle can fill you in. C'mon,

let's go." He forced a smile and grabbed my hand.


End file.
